a new school year begins...

Yesterday was the 1st day of school and that always gets me thinking about the summer that was...

The 2010 summer highlights that weren't the subject of a prior post include:

* A less than stellar garden - mainly because of our 2 week absence in June - although a miraculous cherry crop from our tiny tree makes up somewhat. One pie created & consumed - enough for 3 more in the freezer - mmmmm!
* We joined some friends for an all day rafting trip down the Deschutes River in late July. A few of our group brought along water canons - needless to say we got wet from more than just the waves breaking over the sides of the raft... COLD mountain water!


* A great weekend in July with our niece, Nancy, visiting from Portland. Nancy & Amy had a fabulous photo shoot - see previous post. Nan & I floated the river while Dan climbed South Sister. Then Amy performed in the ballet 'Coppelia'. We fit a lot into that day!


(make sure you click on this picture to see all the mountains in the distance)



* We celebrated our 21st Anniversary (actually June 24th) on 8/13 with a chair lift ride up to Scapolo's Restaurant on Mt. Bachelor for their Sunset Dinner. This is kind of a touristy thing to do but the food was excellent and the scenery couldn't be beat. We live in a spectacularly beautiful area and we don't want to miss out on experiencing all that we can.



* Dan was finally able to take me hiking along the Broken Top Trail. He had done this hike with friends our 1st summer here and had raved about the beautiful wildflowers and the views - but as we didn't own a vehicle that could handle the road to the trail head till this summer - my chance was finally here. It was worth the wait! 'Spring' flowers, crossing snow fields, cascading streams, No Name Lake that had floating icebergs, and views up into WA State. Really beautiful!





* Amy got a new bike - Craigslist came thru with a hot pink cruiser - nice!


* Last week - the final week of summer break - Amy spent 3 long days at school for WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) training. Last spring she had been selected to be a WEB leader - a program where 8th graders come along side the new 6th graders and are trained to be a source of information & guidance during the school year. She has a group of about 8 kids who can call on her for help. Her 1st day of school dilemma of WHAT TO WEAR!!! was.... the orange WEB Leader T-shirt. Problem solved!
Alanna, Gina, Amy & Miriam



Now we just need to get Amy's new dance class schedule down....10 classes in 3 different schools - should be a breeze!

A few weeks ago Amy had a photo shoot with her favorite photographer, Nancy.

Here are the results of their collaboration. Enjoy!

Customize your own photo slideshow

Eat, Pray, Love

I actually won something! It's not the 1st time this has happened but it has been quite a while. When I was a senior in college I won a full stereo system from a local radio station. I still remember eating in the cafeteria shortly after winning and someone at the next table was talking about it. Me, they were talking about me!
Anyway, a few days ago the phone rang and it was someone from Allyson's Kitchen. She said that I had won a drawing for a spot at one of their cooking classes. Yes, I had entered my name the last time Dan & I stopped in - the class was last night and it was a very fun experience. This class was based on Elizabeth Gilbert's book "Eat, Love, Pray". I had read her book last winter and enjoyed it, for the most part. It comes out tomorrow in movie form and is the story of a woman who finds yummy food in Italy, spiritual awakening of sorts, in India, and love in Indonesia. This is my very sketchy synopsis of the book!
Chef Rose Makena prepared 3 dishes, each one representing a country.

From Italy: Panzanella
An Italian bread & tomato salad from Rome

Good crusty, stale bread - torn into 1 inch pieces
The best juicy ripe tomatoes you can get -farmers market heirloom tomatoes!
(don't make with crappy tomatoes!)
Fresh basil leaves - chopped or torn into pieces
White Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic cloves - grated or minced
Good Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Make your bread crumbs into croutons by tossing in a bit of olive oil, salt & pepper and toasting in the oven, on a baking sheet until crunchy.
Rough chop all your tomatoes and put them in a large bowl. Toss with salt & pepper. The salt will begin to draw out the juices.
Add the crutons, garlic and basil. toss well with clean hands. Drizzle some vinegar and oil into the bowl and begin to really mis the salad with your hands.
The idea is that the juices will soak into the bread. Taste the salad. Add more of any ingredient until you like how it tastes. Serve.

From India: Spiced Cauliflower & Potatoes with Raita


This spicy Indian dish is served with raita to cool the palate. Serves 4 as a side.

1 (3/4 lb) head of cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
1 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, pee;ed & cut into 1/2-inch cubes (she actually used red potatoes)
5 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. cumin seeds
3/4 t. salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 t. minced fresh jalapeno, excluding seeds
2 t. minced peeled fresh ginger
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. turmeric
1/4 t. cayenne (these last 4 spices are basically her own curry mix - can be altered to your own taste)
1/2 cup water

Method:
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and place a shallow baking pan on rack. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F
toss cauliflower & potatoes together in a bowl with 3 t. oil, cumin seeds, and 1/4 t. salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally until cauliflower is tender 7 browned in spots and potatoes are just tender - about 20 minutes.
While vegetables are roasting, cook onion, garlic, jalapeno and ginger in remaining 2 t. oil in a 12" heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and beginning to turn golden - 8 to 10 minutes. Add curry spices and remaining 1/2 t salt and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom & sides of the skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables. cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Raita Can't take the heat? Then eat some raita. In India, this condiment is used to cool the palate. Makes 1 cup
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup chopped seeded English cucumber
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2 t. chopped green onions
1/4 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt.

From Bali, Indonesia: Ikan Senten

Fish in a hot coconut sauce over rice. Serves 2-3

1 lb firm white fish - she used tilapia
salt & pepper
oil
1 medium onion
1 T Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed
1 t. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 slice ginger root, peeled
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1 bay leaf
2 Kafir lime leaves, finely chopped - can substitute lime zest and/or juice
1 1/2 cups rice, steamed

Method:

Season the fish with salt & pepper. Pan sear fish on both sides in the oil to a golden color. don't overcook, the fish must remain firm. Set aside.
Using a food processor, blend to make a paste, the onion, Sambal, lemongrass, sugar & ginger. Transfer to a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the coconut milk and, on a low flame, reduce the sauce to about half the volume.
Place the fish in the sauce and add the bay & lime leaves - simmer for a few more minutes.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Each dish was excellent!! I will be trying the Panzanella next week after the local farmers market on Wednesday afternoon - for sure!

If you're adventurous, give one or all of them a try - let me know how it works out...

Amy just finished a 4 day Cheer-leading/Dance Camp and she came home with a trophy for Best Overall Cheerleader. She had a lot of fun and even managed to become a role model for some of the younger girls. There were 4 or 5 girls that seemed to be clustered around her hanging on her every word. As we drove home, I reminded her of when she was younger and looked up to older girls - now she is in the position to influence those around her!

WOW, she is really growing up!

Mt St Helens

Last week we drove up into Washington and met an old GE walking buddy of Dan's, Rick Sheldon. Dan and Rick used to walk every day at lunchtime. When we were back in NY in June they met up at their usual spot and walked again. This time Rick was the one doing the traveling. He and his wife had just completed an exciting Alaskan Cruise and while his wife was busy with other interests Rick met up with us at Mt. St. Helens.

It has been 30 years since the blast and Rick remembers brushing dust from the volcano off his car in NY. We were all impressed by the Visitor Center, movie presentation & exhibits. What is left of the mountain is also pretty awesome. We had a spectacular day to enjoy all the sites. After about 6 hours together Rick rejoined his wife in Tacoma and we drove back to Portland to spend the night.

After breakfast at IKEA - yum! - we did some shopping then raspberry/blueberry/cherry picking at Olson's Farm just outside Salem right off the highway & then home to Bend. It was a great 2 day adventure.

Cross-Country Drive/Fly June 18 - July 3, 2010

We left early on a Friday morning and drove through Washington, northern Idaho and finally settled in Butte, MT, 700 miles from home on our first day of driving. The next day we drove 650 miles and found ourselves in Bismarck, ND. It didn't take quite as long since the speed limit is 75 mph through Big Sky and Prairie country. After a relatively short drive, we stayed in Minnesota visiting Dan's family for several days.

The fly part of the trip was from Minneapolis to Albany where we spent several days with Nancy's family. On the way back to Minneapolis, our 6 a.m. flight left Albany 55 minutes late and we had only 5 minutes (in theory) to make a connection in Detroit. What fun it was to run from Gate 67 to Gate 15 carrying luggage. But we made it! It felt really good to get back to our car, which was waiting for us in Minneapolis.

The third leg of the trip took us through, SD, WY, and Idaho before we got back to Oregon. Along the way we did "touristy" stuff in western South Dakota, which is very nice. We found Rapid City to be almost as nice as Bend. Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone had all kinds of tourists, but they were both fun to see. However, Bend really looked good when we got there; but maybe not quite as good as it did two and a half years ago when we drove across the country to move here.

The photos in the slide show are essentially in chronological order and capture what I wrote above.

I know we have just returned from our cross country summer adventure but I'm just too lazy to try to sort thru 250+ photos today so I will just put that off for another day.
Here is a photo of Amy with her best friends - they have really become quite a foursome this year and they are an interesting mix. Gina was born in Korea and although her Dad was born & raised in the states he works in Seoul while Gina, her Mom (a native Korean) and brother live in Bend. Miriam was born in Germany - her Dad is German and her Mom was living & working in Germany when they met, married and had Miriam. Alanna was born in Hawaii. Her Mom is of Mexican heritage, grew up in So Cal and her Dad, of Indonesian & Dutch heritage. He grew up in Guilderland NY. Amy & Alanna were email buddies prior to us moving to Bend. They all have a great time together and we enjoy them when they spend time in our home.

We made it home in time for Bend's annual 4th of July Pet Parade. Bella did her best to be patriotic!